Calls for community text alerts in Rosslare district as instances of ‘fraud, economic crime, and deception’ increase threefold

By Simon Bourke, Wexford People

With criminals continually devising new methods of parting people with their cash, the Wexford Garda Division is to set up a mapping system to provide additional security for those living in the Rosslare Municipal District (RMD). Crime Prevention Officer Eddie Wylde attended the July meeting of the RMD and explained how the starting point for many rural areas was a community text alert system.

“The text alert system is about protecting older and vulnerable people through community engagement,” he said. “You can set one up in your area by contacting your local Garda Station and a member of An Garda Siochána will come and attend a meeting to help you.”

However, Officer Wylde said that many areas struggle to keep text alert systems active due the age profile of their committee members.

“Maintaining community alert systems is a huge problem, because the age profile of those who go on to the committees tends to be very senior, so it’s hard to get that long-term commitment.”

A further issue, according to the officer, is that digital communication can often supersede face-to-face meetings in already fractured communities.

“In recent years the text system has stopped people from meeting up, but only by meeting up can you help the community to build, that’s how older and vulnerable people meet, and how the volunteers take on the issues to support these people,” he said. “The groups which haven’t focused on maintaining their meetings haven’t been as successful as some of the others.”

Chief superintendent Derek Hughes is currently in the process of mapping the parts of the county which have active community alerts, and, with that in mind, Councillor Ger Carthy suggested a pilot project for the RMD.

“Can we map the RMD and identify the areas which have a deficit in relation to a community text alert?" he proposed. “Then we can work together on that to improve the safety of our people.”

In full agreement, Officer Wylde suggested they begin by contacting organisations like the women’s and men’s sheds and utilising their local knowledge.

One area which does have a text alert system in place is the parish of Mayglass. But local councillor Frank Staples said it had begun to create as many problems as it resolved.

“We have the text alert system in my own parish, but it needs to be looked at,” he said. “I’ve seen a few texts lately that might be frightening for some of those living on their own. How we do combat that?”

Part of the issue, according to Officer Wylde, is that some committees opt to send updates independently of the guards.

“It’s structured in a way that it goes through the guards, but people are sending texts independently, not thinking they’re going to cause trouble. It’s important to strike a balance when sending those texts so as not to cause unnecessary alarm.”

Complicating matters yet further are what Cllr Jim Codd described as the “tentacles of serious criminality”.

“We need community alert systems in place in time for the winter,” he said. “Life in rural Ireland is different now, people used to meet in person, whether in pubs or at Mass, and they spent time talking. There’s less of that now, so it falls upon us to watch those elderly people and ensure they feel there’s someone always available to them.”

With some of those elderly people falling foul of online scams, Officer Wylde said the best way to help those unsure of how to deal with suspicious activity on their devices was through education.

“The landscape of crime is changing, instance of fraud, economic crime, deception have tripled,” he said. “The best way to combat that is through education; bring communities together and provide the information for them. If there are any groups in the RMD who wants to set up an alert system, we will attend and help them to do so.”